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  • Aug. 15, 2025

Arid Land Geography ›› 2025, Vol. 48 ›› Issue (5): 778-788.doi: 10.12118/j.issn.1000-6060.2024.381

• Climatology and Environment • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Change characteristics of negative air ions of different plant communities in arboretum based on path analysis

YAN Xiaoyun(), SUN Yiwei, BAO Hongguang()   

  1. College of Forestry, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010010, Inner Mongolia, China
  • Received:2024-06-19 Revised:2024-09-05 Online:2025-05-25 Published:2025-05-13
  • Contact: BAO Hongguang E-mail:Lzyyxy0607@126.com;baohonguang2016@163.com

Abstract:

To investigate the changes in negative air ion concentration (NAIC) and the influencing factors within typical plant communities in an arboretum, this study examined the Hohhot arboretum in Hohhot City, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China. Data were collected during five sunny and windless or breezy days in each season from 2022 to 2023. Observations included 11 different plant communities and the environmental indicators of control sites, recorded simultaneously in the field from 08:00 to 18:00. The environmental indicators of the control points were analyzed and compared to the NAIC patterns across different plant communities to identify the factors that influenced NAIC. The results showed the following. (1) The NAIC levels of arboretum plant communities were significantly higher during spring (611-1115 ions·cm-3), summer (714-1033 ions·cm-3), and autumn (678-1120 ions·cm-3) compared to that during winter (202-372 ions·cm-3). However, no significant difference was observed within the same season. Daily NAIC patterns varied by season. They formed a “U” curve in spring, showed fluctuating changes in summer and autumn, and decreased before increasing in winter. Daily maximum or minimum NAIC values occurred in specific plant communities and varied seasonally. (2) The air cleanliness of plant communities reached the cleanest level during spring, summer, and autumn. During winter, the air cleanliness ranged from clean to acceptable for most observation periods. (3) The influence of environmental factors on the NAIC varied across seasons. PM2.5 and PM1.0 were identified as the primary factors affecting NAIC. Variations in the NAIC were primarily attributed to the direct effects of particulate matter of different sizes in the air.

Key words: arboretum, plant community, negative air ions, environmental factors, path analysis